Rattan-machine



ZSheets-Sheet 1. N. H. RICHARDSON.

Rattan Machine. No. 231,360. Patented Aug. 17,1880.

iig? JlFErEns. H0104 nuoGaAPHER, wAsulNaron n c 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

N. H. RICHARDSON.

Rattan Machine.

No. 231,360. Patented Aug. M1880.

NA PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, wASmNGTN. D C,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

NATHAN H. RICHARDSON, OF FITGHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS.

RATTAN-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 231,360, dated August 1'7, 1880.

Application led March-24, 1879.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that 1, NATHAN H. RICHARD- SON, of Fitchburg, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Rattan-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this speciication, in which- Figure l is a rear elevation of a machine for shaving chair-cane having my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the upper portion of one side of the same. Fig. 3 is an elevation of a portion of the opposite side of the same. Fig. 4 is a plan of a portion of the same. Figs. 5, G, 7, 8, and 9 are details enlarged.

In the lnanufacture of split rattan or chaircane it is customary for the attendant to seize the strands at or near the center as they come from the shaving-machine, and after a given quantity has accumulated in the hand it is evened up and tied into a bank.

My invention has for its object to provide a mechanism for automatically seizing the strands ata given point and holding them in such a manner that when released they will be in a convenient position for the attendant to grasp and tie'up, thus effecting a considerable saving in manual labor, as, one person is thereby enabled to care for and tie up the strands from several machines, whereas it has heretofore required one attendant for this purpose for each machine; and myinventon oonsists in the combination, with a rattan -machine, of a mechanism which is automatically thrown into action on the entrance of a strand of cane, and after the passage through the machine of a given length thereof will seize or grasp it and continue to hold it until the entrance of a new strand, when the previous strand is released and allowed to drop over a hook orinto a convenient position to be grasped and tied up by the attendant when a sufficient number of strands have accumulated to form a hank of the desired size; and my invention also consists in certain details of construction, as will be hereinafter set forth.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and 'use myinveution, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings, A represents the frame-work of the machine, in suitable bearings ac in which runs the main shaft B, which carries at one end a large wheel or disk, C, and at the opposite end a friction-wheel, D, which serves to drive the horizontal shafts b o of the feed-rolls d c.

fis the cutter by which the chair-cane g, Fig. 2, is shaved as it passes between the grooved periphery of the wheel C and the feedrolls, a suitable guide, 7L, being placed in front of the roll d.

Each of the shafts b c is supported at one end in a bearing, z', which is pivoted to the lower bifurcated end of an upright shaft, k, which slides in a head or frame, E, and is surrounded by a spiral spring, m, against the resistance of which the feed-roll is raised by the strip of cane as it passes between it and the Wheel G.

The opposite end of each of the shafts b c runs in a bearing, n, which is pivoted to the lower bifurcated end of a shaft, p, which slides in a head, G, and is pressed down by a screw, q, so as to keep the end of the shaft outside the bearing u at all times in contact with the periphery of the wheel D, a rubber or other suitable spring being interposed between the upper end of each shaft p and its screw q.

On the shaft b is formed a Worm, r, which, when the shaft is raised by the introduction of a strand of cane between the roll d andthe wheel C, engages with a projection, s, on the under side of a lever, H, pivoted by a bolt or pin, t, to the under side of a frame, I, which is pivoted on a horizontal supporting-shaft, u, projecting out from the head E, a spring, 15, serving to keep the frame down in its proper position, which is regulated by adjusting a screw, 16, resting on a stop, 17. The mechanism carried by this frame I is shown enlarged in Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8, and will be hereinafter particularly described.

To one end of the lever H is secured a wire arm, Iv, which is bent into the form seen in Figs. 1, 4, and 5, and is provided at its;` outer extremity with a hook, w, which, by a movement of the lever H, is caused to catch the strand of roo cane g, Fig. 9, after a given length has passed through the machine, and hold it against a pin, a', projecting up from a plate, K, until the entrance of a fresh strand of cane, when it is released by a forward movement of the hook, which allows it to drop in a loop over a hook, b', placed ina position to receive it, and as soon as a suflicient quantity of strands have accumulated to form a hank of the proper size they are removed by the attendant and tied up, and the necessity of catching each strand in the hand, as heretofore, and holding them therein until a snticient number has accumulated is thereby avoided, which enables one attendant to take care of and tic up the strands from a nulnber of machines instead of from one only, as hitherto.

When the strand is drawn by the hook w up against the pin a', sufcient friction is created to stop the further advance of that portion of the strand of cane which first passed beyond the hook, the strand after leaving` the guide c' passing around one side of' a guide-pin, d.

The shaving e', Fig. 9, which, after leaving the cutter j', passes through a guide, 20, is caught and held by another hook, j", on the arm e, which operates in connection with pins g' h in the same manner as the hook le, and when the shaving is released it drops in a loop over a hook, 1", similar to that b. The hook f', pins g h', and hook 1" may, however, be dispensed with, if desired, in which case the shavings c' will fall directly onto the door.

I will now describe the manner in which the required movements are imparted at the proper times to the lever Il to cause the hooks 1r f' to catch and hohl the strand g/ and shaving e and release them to allow them to drop onto the hooks b 1".

As soon as the worm r is caused to engage with the projection .son the lever H, which is effected by the entrance of a strand of cane between the feed-roll d and disk C, as before described, the lever lI is vibrated on its pivot by the action of the worm against the resistance of a spring, 2l, the inner end of the lever traveling between the edge of the plate k and a lever, l', pivoted at m', this lever having a notch, a', with an incline, p; and just previous to the arrival of theend of the lever opposite to the notch it strikes an incline, q', on the plate k', by which it is raised onto the incline p', the lever l yielding slightly against the resistance of a spring, 22, which movement disengages the projection s from the worin r, when the spring 21 instantly throws the lever back in the opposite direction until it strikes a stop, q2, the inner end of the lever during this movement traveling in contact with the side 23 of the lever l', the pin f, on which the leverll is pivoted,being jointed to allow of this movement. While the lever H is being moved by the worm the hooks wf are being carried forward over and beyond the strand g and shaving e', and when the end of the lever is raised by the incline p the hooks w j" are deL pressed so as to lie in the path of the strand and shaving, which are caught and held thereby, as before described, when the lever H is released from the worm r and thrown back by the spring 2l.

The mechanism above described can be constructed so as to release the lever H and cause the cane to be seized and held after any given length has passed through the machine, which results in all ofthe ends of the cane at one extremity of the hauk or bunch being brought evenly together.

After the lever H has been thrown by the spring 21 against the stop q2, it is held in this position with its projection s out of contact with the worm 1^ by the end of a slide, r', Fig. 6, on the lever I', which projects out into a position to intercept the end of the lever H and prevent it from being carried by the downward pressure of the end of the spring 21 onto the edge of the plate 7c', which is necessary in order that the hooks w f may continue to hold the cane at the points of seizure until the balance of the strand has passed through the machine, when the feed-roll d drops onto the periphery of the disk C, causing a set-screw, s', on an arm, t', projecting from the shaft k, connected with the roll d, to come into contact with and depress a bell-crank, u', the lower arm of which is thereby caused to force back the slide r' against the resistance of the spring 22, when the inner end of the lever H, which has just previously been resting against the end of this slide, is instantly forced down onto the edge of the plate k by the action of the spring 21, when the projection s is again in a position to engage with the worm r on the latter being raised by the introduction ot' a fresh strand of cane between the roll d and disk C, when the lever H is again carried forward by the worm, as before. This movementof thelcverHagain carries forward the hooks w f', as before described, which, during this forward movement, release the strand g and shaving e', which are then free to drop in looped form onto their respective hooks b i.

It is obvious that other mechanism than that above described may be employed to grasp the strand, hold and release it while in its passage through the machine; and it is also evident that this mechanism may be operated or thrown into automatic action by any part of the machine, which is raised or depressed by the presence or absence of the strand, or by a feeler or lever actuated by the strand while passing through the machine.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The arm c, provided with the hook w, in combination with the lever H and pin a', substantially as herein set forth.

2. The arm v, provided with the hook w, in combination with the lever H, pin a', and hook b', substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The shaft b, provided with the worm 1', in

IOO

IIO

combination*Withtherlever H, arm y@,Yprovided structed and arranged to operate substantially 1o With the hook, and the mechanism shown and as herein described. described for automatically disengaging the Witness my hand this 24th day of February, lever from the Worm, substantially as and for A. D. 1879.

the purpose set forth.

4. The lever H, With its projection s, and NATHAN H' RHJHARDSON' shaft b, provided with. the Worin o", in combi- In presence ofnation With the lever l', with its slide fr, belll?. E. TESGHEMACHER, crank u, set-screw s', arm t, and roll d, all con- GHAS. E. GRIFFIN. 

